


Cold Anger

by ApomaroMellow



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Politics, Post-Canon, Seduction to the Dark Side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApomaroMellow/pseuds/ApomaroMellow
Summary: Person A: “Promise me that you wont start any fights this time.”Person B: “Fine, I promise I wont start any fights.”Person A: “Thank you.”Person B: “.....I will finish them though.”Rey feels rightfully angry when having to sit down and talk with the people who led a reign of fear across the galaxy. But there are proper ways to express one's fury.
Relationships: Poe Dameron & Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Cold Anger

**Author's Note:**

> prompt source: https://write-it-motherfuckers.tumblr.com/post/638612348950708224/person-a-promise-me-that-you-wont-start-any

When it came time to negotiate terms of the First Order's surrender, Finn hadn't known what to expect. If he was being honest, he didn't think he'd see anything like this in his lifetime. Joining the Resistance as a full-fledged member, he truly believed that he might die before seeing the end of the war, but hoped his actions were enough to push their side closer to victory.

As he embraced both Rey and Poe, Finn couldn't believe how incredibly lucky he was. There were those who had lost so much in the fight. And while he had to sacrifice much on his own, he was more than thankful that his life and his friends weren't included in that.

Now came the less bombastic but still very much terrifying part - diplomacy. In addition to Kylo Ren, now posthumously referred to Ben (not that he was spoken about much), Hux, Palpatine, and Snoke, a significant number of First Order higher ups were dead. The same was obviously true for the Resistance. And while both sides still had officers trained in these political matters, Finn, Poe, and Rey found themselves at these tables often.

Finn had expected Poe to be much more intense at these proceedings, given not only his history fighting these men but his fly-off-the-handle personality in general. But his love surprised him with his cool attitude and formality.

It was Rey he had to worry about.

"Promise me that you wont start any fights this time", he said as he straightened her robes.

"Fine, I promise I wont start any fights", she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Thank you."

"...I will _finish_ them though."

Finn let out a breath through his nose and Rey looked like she might start a fight with him now but they were interrupted by Poe knocking on wall next to the open door.

"You guys ready?"

"As we'll ever be", Finn said.

Poe crossed the room with his arms open. "You look great."

"I look the same as I always do", Finn rolled his eyes but smiled anyway and met Poe halfway.

"I know."

Rey was used to their PDA by not and barely batted an eye when they kissed. She was mentally squaring up anyway. For the first time, people had the upper hand on a system that had oppressed them. And yet still those that benefited from the system wanted to sneer down their noses at her. They needed to be put in their place and that's exactly what she set out to do.

When their entourage finally met and sat down with the delegation, Rey kept her expression neutral. She would keep her word. She wasn't going to start anything. But the moment anyone said anything she didn't like, she'd let it be known.

"In regards to what discussed in our last meeting..."

They went over old business first, which had mostly been talking about what to do about the places more recently conquered by the First Order, places they could more easily detach from. Then they got to new business, which was part of the reason Finn had made sure to talk to Rey today about her behavior. Under the table, Finn grabbed Poe's hand and squeezed it.

It was time to demand that the First Order demilitarize. And that meant discussing the fates of the stormtroopers under them. There was a rise in tension as that demand was reached and that's when the arguments began. Rey let Finn and Poe handle most of the talking. Not only was this Finn's personal battle, he'd know better than any of them what should be done with the troops. As the conversations continued though she felt the heat rise in her. She tried to find her center and focus instead on the Force.

It did calm her somewhat. And for a moment the voices muffled out. It was probably irresponsible of her to do so, but tuning them out was really the only way she was going to get through this without igniting her saber. And then her hearing returned in sharp focus at one word.

"...the livestock."

Rey's eyes narrowed and she saw that word being directed towards Finn and she jumped from her seat. Finn tried to make a grab for her but she was too fast as she leapt to the other side of the table and pointed her lightsaber at the man who dared utter that word.

"You steal children from their homes, raise them as weapons, and you have the nerve to compare them to animals?!", she roared. "I'll show you who the real beast is!"

"REY!", Poe shouted.

"WHAT?!", she shouted back, turning to look at him.

He was standing, although unlike her he was still on the floor. His eyes were stern. Finn's were looking at her like he didn't know what she'd do. Rey looked back at the agents of the First Order and most of them were cowering in their seats. And that fear felt good. And then she felt a crushing wave of cold at that realization.

She deactivated her lightsaber and got off the table, running from the room.

When she heard someone coming after her, she had thought it'd be Finn. But when she finally stopped down the hall, she saw that it was Poe. And somehow that made her feel worse. She was used to Finn following her, trying to know what she was doing or telling her that he was worried about her. She still wasn't entirely sure how to handle Poe.

"Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't have done that?"

"I'm not your dad. I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do", Poe said. "But I have to ask if you think that was smart."

"They just! They're so! They make me so SO angry! They deserve to be punished for what they've done. And we're just letting them sit here and talk with us."

Poe leaned against a wall. "You're right. They're absolute garbage. And I think they should be burned like it. But this is what it means to be a just society."

"You hate them just as much as I do", Rey said. It wasn't that long ago that Poe shot them down with glee. They had hurt him and his people. "How can you sit there so calmly? Why don't you ever yell at them?"

Rey had never felt so tempted by the anger that led to the dark side than when she had to speak to these men who knew nothing of struggle or sacrifice or pain. And that scared her. What if anger was all she had in her?

"It's not easy", Poe said. "It's probably harder for you. I can't choke someone from ten feet away."

"I would nev-", Rey interrupted herself when she realized that wasn't true. She hadn't used the Force like that yet, but it would've been so easy to. And she felt colder.

"Do you know how easy it would be to organize a strike right now and take out First Order leaders right at their homes?", Poe said. Now that the rest of the galaxy was backing them up, he had a large number of ships and pilots not just under his command but would do a favor if he asked. "Abusing our power makes us no better than them."

"What if I don't want to be better?"

"You have to, Master Jedi", Poe said.

"I'm not a-"

"Maybe not yet. But someday we're gonna have people looking back on the things we did when we were in charge. These guys are all going to get what's coming to them. I'll dedicate my life to make sure of it", Poe said, crossing his arms. "Even if that means giving each of them a trial and listing each and every one of their crimes for the whole universe to hear."

Rey looked at him, uncertain. "You think they'll go through with something like that?"

"They have to. Otherwise they're fugitives of the law", Poe grinned. "And jurisdiction can get pretty loose on that."

She let out a long sigh. "I feel bad for leaving Finn to deal with them on his own."

"He can handle himself. If I were you, I'd worry more about the lecture I'm going to get afterward."

"You don't really think he will, do you?" Rey felt a different kind of ice in her veins.

Poe shrugged. "I'd try and compliment his hair or something before the meeting is over though."

The two of them returned to the room. Rey's righteous anger hadn't gone anywhere, but she no longer felt the need to skewer any of these men. Being humiliated publicly and imprisoned or exiled or possibly executed would be much more fitting.


End file.
